Operating mechanism for the ignition-generators of internal-combustion engines



G. SMITH.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR THE IGNITION GENERATORS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9| I920.

.m. L M 2. w. mun MH 3W 6W M m A M H M A w R m G G. SMITH. OPERATING MECHANISM FOR THE IGNITION GENERATORS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9, I920.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- G RAHAM SMITH.

G. SMITH. OPERATING MECHANISM FOR THE IGNITION GENERATORS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9,1920.

Hume/Mo:

GRAHAM SMITH.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

GRAHAM SMITH, F SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

OPERATING MECHANISM. FOR THE IGNITION-GENERATORS OF INTERNAL-COMBUS- v'IION ENGINES- Specification of Letter s Patent. Pat nt s a 1921.

Application filed Octoberi), 1920. Serial No. 415,780.

To all whom it may concern j Be it known that I, GRAHAM SMITH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Savannah, in the county of Ghatham and State of Geor ia, have invented certain new and .useful improvements in. Operating Mechanism for the Ignition-Generators of Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specificatiomreference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relatesto operating mechanism for the ignition circuits of internal combustion engines. n

"An important object of the invention is to provide means for increasing thespeed of rotationof the drive shaft of the ignition generator of internal combustion engines during low s eeds, as for example at cranking speed. s is well known to those familiar with the art, at cranking speeds the generator is not rotated at a sufficient rate of speed to deliver a spark at full capacity,

rendering the starting of the engine by crankin extremely diflicult at times.

In or er to overcome this difficulty, I have devised an apparatus whereby the relative speeds of the cranking shaft of the engine and the armature shaft of the generator may be increased at cranking speeds.,

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction andoperation, and whichmay readily be applied to the generators or magnetos of the ignition circuits of internal combustion englnes without materially altering the construction thereof. Other objects and advantages of theinvention will become apparent through the.

course of the following description:

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purposeof illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout: y Figure 1 is a, front elevation of a device constructedin accordance with my inven- Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view preferably in elevation, showing the construction of the flange plate Fig. 3 is a View similar to that shown in Fig. 1, showing the operating arm moved to the engaged position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that in Fig. 3, the driving element haying been rotated and the lugs shifted in the slot thereof;

Fig 5 a perspective of the gear wheel;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the flange; Fig. 7 1s a rearperspective of the operatmgarm and its associated mechanism, and

f 1g. 8 is a perspective ofthe spring employed in my device.

Referring now more particularly to the I drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the generator'ormagneto of an internal combustion engine, and the numeral 11 the timer thereof which is mounted upon the armature shaft 12 of. the magneto in the well known manner. 1

The armature shaft extends through the timer 11 for a short distance and has keyed thereto as at 13 an outstandingflange 14.

Thisflange embodies a hub portion 15 which extends toward and abuts the timer 11 and the hub portion 16 extending from the opposite side of the flange portion, the purpose of which will hereinafter more fully appear. Theend ofthe armature shaft 12 is provided with a retaining washer 17 held in position by a cap-screw 18 or the like. The flange l l'has formed on one side there of at spaced intervals the lugs 19 and at the opposite side thereof the lug 20 of a con siderable length, which overhangs the hub portion 16. y

The gear 21 has its hub portion 22 rotatably mounted upon the hub portion 16 of the flange 14 and meshes in the conventional manner with the driving gear 21 by means of which it is drivenfrom the crank shaft of the engine. The'gear 21 is provided; with an arcuate slot 23 which slidably receives the lug 20 of the flange 1a; .The hub 22 of the gear is adapted as at 24: for the reception of one end of a coiled flat spring 25 whichis wound about the hub in a direction opposite that of thedirectlon of rotation of the gear wheel when driven by the engine to'rotate in a normal direction... The outer end of the spring 25 is providedwith a loop portion 26 which receives the lug 20 of the flange 14. The hub 22 of the gear is provided with outstanding radial flanges 27 which prevent displacement of the spring in a direction longitudinal of the shaft.

A suitable support is provided which is approximately vertically disposed and which has pivotallysecured thereto at or adjacent the upper end thereof, one .end .of a lever 29 which has depending therefrom an arm 30 adapted at its lower end for the reception of an operating bar 31, the free end of which is located at some point convenlent to the operator of the engine. Through the medium of the operating bar, the free,

end of the lever 29 may be elevated or lowered as desired. This free end is alined with the rotary path of the lugs 19 of the flange 1 1. Pivotally mounted on the lever 29 at a point adjacent the free end thereof as at 31, is a bell crank lever 32 having one arm thereof preferably horizontally disposed and provided with a depending shoulder 33, the lower portion of the shoulder 33 projecting below the lower face of the lever 29. The other arm of the bell crank lever 32 is provided with a hook portion 34 adapted for the reception of one end of the tension spring 35 having its opposite end secured to the support 28.

The pointof attachment of the spring 35 to the support 28 is preferably above the pivotal point of the lever 29. In other words, the point of attachment of the spring to the support is in a plane remote from a parallel plane in which the pivotal point of the lever 29 lies with respect to a third plane parallel to the previously mentioned planes and in whichthe armature shaft 12 would lie, with the result that the spring 35 not only normally holds the bell crank lever 32 with the jaw 33 thereof projecting below or to one side of the lever 29, but likewise holds the lever 29 from movement toward the shaft 12, and accordingly the lugs 19 of the flange 1 In the use of my device, when it is desired to crank the engine, the operating bar 31 is shifted so as to move the free end of the lever 29 toward the shaft 12 and the jaw 33 into the path of the lugs 19. Upon rotation of the crank shaft, these lugs striking against the jaw 33, are held against the movement through the medium of the jaw 33 and against the action of the spring 25 until the lug 20 is engaged by the rear end of the arcuate slot 23, when the solid force exerted by the gear wheel upon the lug will free the lug from the jaw 33 against the action of the spring 35, allowing the spring 25 to act upon the lug 20 and flange 1 1 to rotate the same. As this rotation is imparted by the spring 25, it will be materially accelerated, the rotation of the gear wheel 21 accompanying and necessitating an increase of speed of the flange 14 until the lug 20 again lies in its normal position at the forward end of the arouate slot 23. This increase speed of rotation will be transmitted, as is obvious, to the generator, resulting in an increase of E. M. F. in the circuit of the engine. When the operating bar 31 is released, the spring 35 returns the lever 29 to normal position when the lugs 19 are free from engagement and the lug 20 assumes its normal position in the slot 23 and is held in such position by the coiled spring 25.-

It will be obvious that my device, by reason of the fact that it materially cxpedites the starting of the engine and by reason of the simplicity of its construction and the ease with which it may be applied to engines now in use, is particularly well adapted for the purpose for which it is intended, and it will likewise be obvious that the construction of the same as hereinbefore set forth is capable of some change without departing from the spirit of my invention. I, accordingly do not limit myself to the specific structure hereinbefore set forth except as so limited by the subjoined claims.

'What I claim is:

1. I11 a device of the type described, a generator shaft, a. flange secured to the generator shaft and provided upon one face thereof with a lug, spaced lugs formed upon the opposite face of said flange, a driven element rotatably mounted coaxially with said shaft and provided with an arcuate slot slidably receiving the firstnamed lug, a suitable support adjacent said shaft, a lever pivotally connected at one end to said support and having the free end thereof overhanging the last-named lugs of said flange, a bell crank lever pivotally connected to said lever adj acent the free end thereof and provided upon one arm thereof with a jaw, and identical means for normally holding said jaw projecting beyond the surface of the lever next adjacent said last-named lugs and holding said lever out of engagement with said lugs.

2. In a device of the type described, a generator shaft, a flange secured to the gen erator shaft and provided upon one face thereof with a lug, spaced lugs formed upon the opposite face of said flange, a driven element rotatably mounted coaxially with said shaft and provided with an arcuate slot slidably receiving the first-named lug, a suitable support adjacent said shaft, a lever pivotally connected at one end to said support and having the free end thereof overhanging the last-named lugs, of said flange, a bell crank lever pivotally connected to said lever adj acent the free end thereof and provided upon one arm thereof with a jaw, and identical means for normally holding said jaw projecting beyond the surface of the le-' GRAHAM SMITH. 

